CHAPTER IV: WILDLIFE HABITATS FOR MISSISSIPPI’S SGCN,
THREATS AND CONSERVATION ACTIONS^247LOCATION, SIZE, CONDITION AND CONSERVATION STATUS
NGM
Estuarine shrublands are found in small linear patches that follow
the shoreline of estuarine marshes and adjoin upland areas. Shell
middens occur along edges of bayous as small circular patches,
about one acre in size. Some bays have wide extensive areas (100
acres) of this type (east side of St. Louis Bay). Total acreage of this
subtype is estimated to be about 5,000 acres. The habitat is
adjoined by forested or developed uplands and maritime forests.
Some shell middens are infested with cogongrass while those not
surrounded by marsh lands are exposed to shoreline erosion. Estuarine shrublands are apparently stable
communities and seem to be in good condition. However, not being exposed to periodic wildfire as in
presettlement times may have a deleterious affect on the subtype. Nutrient loads of estuarine waters
may have resulted in a change in abundance and/or dominance of some of the associated shrub species.
Shell middens are critically imperiled in the state because of extreme rarity and other forces, such as
exotic weeds and wave action make this subtype especially vulnerable to further decline. Other
estuarine shrublands are not imperiled but are vulnerable to decline by urbanization, lack of exposure to
periodic fires, and higher nutrient level of adjacent water bodies.
SPECIES OF GREATEST CONSERVATION NEED ASSOCIATED WITH
SHELL MIDDENS AND ESTUARINE SHRUBLANDS
GROUP SCIENTIFIC NAME COMMON NAME TIER
Birds Haematopus palliatus American Oystercatcher 1
Migrant Songbirds 1
Rynchops niger Black Skimmer 2
Pelecanus occidentalis Brown Pelican 2
Sterna nilotica Gull-Billed Tern 2
Sterna antillarum Least Tern 2
Sterna maxima Royal Tern 2
Sterna sandvicensis Sandwich Tern 2
Dendroica cerulea Cerulean Warbler 2
Eudocimus albus White Ibis 2
Limnothlypis swainsonii Swainson's Warbler 2
Caprimulgus carolinensis Chuck-Will's-Widow 3
Dendroica discolor Prairie Warbler 3
Egretta thula Snowy Egret 3
Helmitheros vermivorus Worm-Eating Warbler 3
Hylocichla mustelina Wood Thrush 3
13.6 Shell Middens and Estuarine ShrublandsRange of Shell Middens
and Estuarine Shrublands